Both departure town Rapallo and arrival town Sestri Levante are at the Gulf of Tigullio, yet the stage itself is on hilly terrain through the hinterland. In fact only the final 20 kilometres are flat.
Straight from the start the road goes up, one step at a time. The first benchmark is the Colle Caprile at 470 metres, reached after 25 kilometres. The rolling landscape climbs further up and with 90 kilometres done the highest point is reached, Barbagelata, located at 1,115 metres. Upon cresting the riders can indulge in a descent of about 20 kilometres after which the stage is closed with a flat section in the same distance.
Three years ago the Giro saw a stage finish in Sestri Levante with Danish attacker Lars Bak being victorious.
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Giro 2015 stage 3: Route map, profile and more
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Video: Final kilometres 3rd stage
Start and finish at Google Maps
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How stage 3 was won in 2014